Asm America, Inc.

Jim Alexander

Ivo Johannes Raaijmakers

Ravinder K Aggarwal

Loren R Jacobs

Dennis L Goodwin

Mike Halpin

Jim Kusbel

Ken O'Neill

A substrate fabrication system is provided which includes a buffer station located inline between a front docking port and a loadlock chamber, the buffer station being operatively joined with a front handling chamber. Preferred embodiments employ a buffer station having a rack with reduced pitch, or relative spacing between shelves. Additional embodiments provide variable pitch end effectors as part of the disclosed fabrication system. Methods of fabricating wafers by quickly transferring them to purgeable buffer stations upon wafers arriving at a docking port are also provided.

System for the improved handling of wafers within a process tool

A system for facilitating wafer transfer comprises a susceptor unit consisting of an inner susceptor section which rests within an outer susceptor section. A vertically movable and rotatable support spider located beneath the susceptor unit can rotate into positions to engage either the inner or the outer susceptor sections. When the inner section is engaged, the support spider lifts the inner section vertically out of the outer section. When the outer section is engaged, the support spider raises and lowers the entire susceptor unit. A fork type robotic arm end effector permits wafer pick up and unloading by the inner susceptor section.

Substrate transfer system for semiconductor processing equipment

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Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Jim Alexander